South Africa, World
While you were sleeping: 23 October 2017
McKinsey's latest misadventure revealed, Catalan braces for intervention, and Spurs clobber Liverpool.
Monday, 23 October 2017
“Sometimes, the best way to help someone is just to be near them.”
Veronica Roth
STORY OF THE DAY
amaBhungane: The McKinsey Dossier, part 5 – How Transnet cash stuffed Gupta letterboxes
By Susan Comrie for AMABHUNGANE
When global consulting firm McKinsey “came clean” last Tuesday about its work at Eskom, it admitted it was not careful enough about associating with Trillian, its de facto local partner. But it claimed not to have known that Gupta lieutenant Salim Essa owned most of Trillian. Now we show that at least R30-million flowed from Regiments, McKinsey’s longstanding local partner at Transnet, into companies associated with a notorious Gupta-Essa money laundering channel. McKinsey refuses to comment on the payments, styled as fees to “business development partners”. Once again, it was the major beneficiary of the resultant contracts.
Spain marches into Catalan government
It’s going to be a tense week ahead for Catalans. Spanish government leaders have taken the step of invoking Article 155 and booting out the local government. Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his cabinet will be shown the door, at the tip of a bayonet, as it were, and fresh elections will be held. It is unlikely any of this will end without protest.
British bowling alley hostage drama unfolds
A bowling alley in Nuneaton, central England, was the scene of a tense hostage situation that took five hours to resolve. An alleged boyfriend or ex-husband of one of the staff members was believed to have been responsible. Police stormed the premises and arrested the suspect without injury to the two hostages.
Abe places North Korea in crosshairs after win
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has won a massive majority in Japan’s latest elections. Abe offered to “deal firmly” with North Korea after projections showed he would be on track for a massive 312 seat, two-thirds majority. Whether Abe will actually ramp up Japanese reaction to missiles flying overhead, however, remains to be seen.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has criticised his team’s “bad, bad, bad defending”. Liverpool lost 4-1 to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday night, effectively ending the club’s hopes of any shot at the Premier League title. Klopp’s clobbering provided a showcase for Spurs’ Harry Kane, who scored twice and won the praise of his manager.
IN NUMBERS
666
The sum of all numbers on a roulette wheel.
FACTS OF THE DAY
Today is World Mole Day. It’s probably not the observance you think it is.
Owls make virtually zero noise while flying.
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